drab

1 of 2

noun

plural drabs

1

disapproving : slattern entry 1 sense 1

2

disapproving : a woman who engages in sex acts and especially sexual intercourse in exchange for pay : a woman who is a sex worker

drab

2 of 2

verb

drabbed; drabbing; drabs

intransitive verb

: to associate with sex workers

A waster, an idler; drinking and drabbing …

—Aldous Huxley

Synonyms of drab

Noun

• prostitute
• hooker

Examples of drab in a Sentence

Noun

in its time, this waterfront dive was decried as a den of iniquity, unfit even for the drunks and drabs who haunted it

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Social-media feeds are flooded with drips and drabs of art. —David S. Wallace, New Yorker, 16 May 2026

As temperatures drop and autumn gives way to the seemingly ceaseless snows of winter, some animals in northerly climes exchange their pelage or plumage of summer drab for the purest white. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026

The emails, the birthday book, the address book—there's been a lot to keep track of, released in drips and drabs. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2025

The 6x9' is just out of reach at $558, but feels worth the splurge to take your outdoor space from drab to designer. —Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 26 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

Verb

noun derivative of drab entry 4

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1518, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1599, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing drab

• olive drab

Rhymes for drab

• ab
• cab
• crab
• dab
• fab
• gab
• grab
• jab
• lab
• mab
• nab
• rab

Kids Definition

drab

1 of 2 noun

ˈdrab 

: a light olive brown

drab

2 of 2 adjective

drabber; drabbest

1

: of the color drab

2

: lacking variety and interest : dull

a drab life

drably adverb

drabness noun